Forget the calling birds, the 4th day of Christmas is about something else entirely in the modern world and we're about to tell you exactly what that is. In case you're not up to speed, welcome to the 12 days of Christmas on Pocket-lint where we give you solid gold advice on what to stick under the tree for your loved ones this year. Frankincense and myrrh not included.

Today's giftoid is on the surface not so exciting but we've got 12 watertight reasons why that just simply ain't so. So, get you Christmas list open, your credit it card out and prepare to have a problem solved.

Kodak ESP 5250 all-in-one printer

This is Kodak and there’s a family heritage here to protect and work with, so you can bet that setting up the ESP 5250 is going to be as straight forward as installing a printer gets. Naturally, it’s all pretty clearly marked with manuals and a wizard. What’s more, the paper tray has an intelligent sensor which detects what source material you’ve put in, meaning that there’s no need know anything about the settings to get it right. It’s as idiot proof as they come.

You don’t need to plug it in

Better still, you don’t even need to plug the thing in. Well, you do but only to the wall and just about anyone can manage that part of things. Beyond that, the printer works over Wi-Fi, so your giftee doesn’t need to do any getting behind the back of the computer to be faced with a series of scary ports and down the barrel of confusion. It also means no having to get on your hands and knees which might be a help for those with back problems.

It’s cheap to run

The Kodak printers aren't just cheap to run, the industry has named them the cheapest. The decent outlay that you’ll have made on your loved one’s behalf ensures that they get one of the most ink efficient machines out there. So your giftee won’t end up spending more on cartrdiges in the first year than you did on the printer to begin with.

There’s only two kinds of cartridge

Running low on ink is the bane of the photo printer’s life and the really good news here is that the ESP 5520 only takes two cartridges - black and colour. So, the person you give this to is not going to have to deal with warnings every three minutes about how they’re running low on cyan or trying to work out just what colour K is anyway.

You get Kodak lab-quality photos

If you use Kodak photo paper, Kodak ink cartrdiges and print with the Kodak software installed, then you’re guaranteed to get photo print outs as good as the ones you used to get from your high street Kodak labs. In other words, they’re really good.

Your prints will last you over 100 years

The combination of pigment inks and swellable papers in the Kodak printing system means that not only are the colours going to be top notch but the images will last for over 100 years. Take a look at a Polaroid shot you took when you were young and the state of it now and you’ll know what we mean.

It’s under £100

Self-explanatory really. It, as in the printer, is under, like the opposite of over and also meaning beneath, 100, first of the three figure integers, pounds, unit of currency in the United Kingdom. What that also means is that, so far, the Kodak ESP 5250 is the cheapest gift in the Pocket-int 12 Days of Christmas.

It looks really big under the tree

They say that size isn’t everything but that’s just not true when it comes to Christmas presents. Everyone wants that big one under the tree to be theirs and, if you get this for somebody, you’ve already scored points before its even been opened.

It’s a copier and scanner as well

This is an all-in-one printer, as it goes. So, it’s not just photo and paper printing that it’ll do. Should your giftee be up to the task, they’ll be able to scan documents and use the 5250 as a photocopier too.

It’s as non-threatening as you’re going to get

Kodak might not conjure up the phrase high tech but it does inspire trust. If you’re buying for someone not entirely comfortable with the new-fangled age, then the best shot you can offer them is a brand they understand in the first place. No promises that your gran will be scanning her shopping lists but this’ll be your best bet.

You can print without a computer

As with many modern printers, the Kodak ESP 5250 has an SD card slot so that you can print direct from your memory stick without having to switch on the computer at all. Rather useful if your giftee isn’t particularly PC literate. If, however, they’re a bit of a gadget fiend, it’s also a good buy as there’s an iPhone/iPod app that you can your mobile snaps from as well.

It’s energy efficient

As if all that isn’t enough, the Kodak ESP 5250 is Energy Star qualified and what that boils down to is that it runs in standby at less than 1W. So, if you forget to turn it off, it’s not going to destroy the rainforests - a sapling perhaps, but that’s about it.